Sunday, May 21, 2017

Updates from the Pumpkin Patch

I apologize to those who asked to see some picture updates of the pumpkin plants. Been very busy lately. On Saturday I worked eight hours in the yard (feeling it today) getting ready for sod that is finally arriving on Tuesday and I haven't had time for much of anything else. I still need to get the sprinkler lines in for the pumpkin patch, so Memorial Day weekend that will be one of the main things I'll be working on.

Right now I have two nice plants and two crummy plants. But that is why I double plant in each hoop house. The good news is that I have one good plant in each hoop house, so I'll be pulling the less interesting plants this week.

My 747 is becoming a very nice plant and is an aggressive grower. It is about 1 1/2 feet from the end of the hoop house already, which is causing me problems. Morning lows are still pretty cool in Midway (we had snow 4 days ago) and I'd love to keep that plant in the hoop house until at least the 1st of June. My plan is to re-position the hoop house so the plant is positioned corner to corner which will probably gain me an extra 6 inches or so. I'll sure it will still outgrow the hoop house in a week however.

The 1685 is starting to shape up to a descent looking plant. Not as aggressive as the 747, but looking pretty good lately. It had a rougher time with the transition to the hoop house, but it is wired up now and read to go.

Today I gave the plants a fair amount of compost tea with a descent amount of alfalfa in it and a touch of phosphorous seaweed. In about a week I'll give the plants some blood meal to start pushing out the vines. I'm hoping to have some fruit set on the plants by June 15th.

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About This Pumpkin Blog

This blog is dedicated to anyone who loves big pumpkins. My entire pumpkin growing season is included on this site along with tips & secrets for gardening. Feel free to post a comment on any article and I will post a reply in that same comment section usually within 24 hours.